Columbus NC is the Polk County seat where the government offices and
the historic 1857
Polk County Courthouse are located. The beautiful courthouse building is one of the oldest still in use in North
Carolina and
has been fully restored to its original grandeur. Of historical
interest is the ancient slave block that still remains on the
courthouse lawn as a daily reminder of that terrible period of
American history.
Dr. Columbus Mills, for whom the town was named, has been
called the "Father of Polk County". It was largely through his
efforts as a state senator that Polk County
was established by sectioning off parts of Rutherford and Henderson
Counties, deliberately carved from 100 acres of wilderness on
what was then known as Foster Race
path in the shadow of Fosters Mountain, known today as Chocolate
Drop.

Columbus has all the charm of a small mountain city, and is home to
two great festivals, the
Fabulous 4th
in July and the
Columbus Day Farm Festival
in October, and the Howard Monument- (a landmark in the County for
over 100 years) and The Doughboy statue. Originally laid out
with a church at each corner of the main streets, only two of these
are in their original locations today -the Columbus Baptist Church
and the Columbus Presbyterian Church.